Representation matters, and women ages 50 and up have it right now on U.S. screens. Andrea Mitchell has been a luminary of lunchtime television in America for a decade, hosting a popular MSNBC news show. No wonder: She is smart, with expertise in foreign and domestic policy, and has an attractive, warm demeanor. She is also, at 72 years old, well past the age that many Europeans — and, to a lesser extent, Americans — would have retired. She is not alone. Lesley Stahl is a star of U.S. television journalism at 77. Judy Woodruff is anchor of PBS NewsHour at 72; Oprah Winfrey is a media entrepreneur at 65; Gayle King, breakfast show host, is 64, while Christiane Amanpour, another host, is 61. Maria Bartiromo and Mika Brzezinski are a more youthful 51. |